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“It’s Helen’s birthday, Herr Richter, and I would like to...” Philip was confused.
“I see, you want to cheer up the girl,” smiled Herr Richter. “That is the right thing to do. What can I do for you?”
“I don’t know how to get white roses, especially at this particular season,” said the boy. “Maybe you know?”
“Everything is very simple, Philip, we are in Switzerland,” the man handed out an order form. “Here you write down what you need, certify it like this, and send it by A-Post. The cake will be made by the school’s Heintzel, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you, Herr Chancellor!” exclaimed the boy. “Pardon me for disturbing you.”
“Not at all, Philip,” smiled Gerhard Richter, who was elated by the happiness of this such a responsible little boy. “My doors are always open to all children, this is a school after all.”
***
WITH ALL THE “ADVENTURES” the time flew by very rapidly, especially in the last few days, when I ceased to be afraid. Now my conviction is that as long as Philip is by my side, I won’t die. I don’t know how he did it, but I’m not afraid now. I’ve started to get enough sleep and my studies have improved, I’m not so tired anymore, even though I’m flying everywhere in my chair, owing to Philip. Herr Krause assessed my first self-made mixtus with an excellent grade. I was so happy that I almost fainted with joy, but Philip managed to get in time with the artifact. So many emotions, even good ones are bad too... And then came the day, the day I mostly – felt miserable before, because there was no one – no friends, no acquaintances – and I wanted to... But this time, it was completely different.
This morning I opened my eyes with a kind of eagerness, even though I hadn’t shared the fact of my birthday with anyone. Nevertheless, there was a feeling in my soul, as if something wonderful was about to happen. I opened my eyes and immediately heard:
“Happy birthday, kitten!” It was impossible not to recognize that voice.
“Thank you, Philip! Ah!” I laughed as a bouquet of my favorite white roses was put into my hands. How did he know, eh?
“Keep growing, and may miracles come in your life,” he wished me, and I hugged my angel.
“The biggest miracle has already happened to me,” I whispered in his ear. “Because I have you now.”
“You have me,” Philip nodded, smiling, “...and I have you. Get up, birthday girl!”
Then there was washing and taking a shower, I was coping well by sitting up, though sometimes I felt light-headed because of the wetness, but I was getting through it, and my angel was keeping an eye on me. Then I got dressed... Well, okay, Philip dressed me, he had the knack of dressing me in such a way that I wasn’t embarrassed at all anymore. He’s just a miraculous man, a real angel! I love him so much, there are no words, how! The biggest miracle of my life!
Having placed me in the chair, Philip lifted it with levitation and carried me outside.
The girls and boys greeted me by singing “Happy Birthday to you!” in a chorus. It was so sweet! Afterwards, we made our way to the school dining room. I flew surrounded by the whole class, and it was enchanting because they all seemed to be my friends. And in the dining room! In the dining room, I was congratulated by the chancellor himself. In front of the whole hall! It was exceptional, just to the point of tears. But no tears. So, I finished my breakfast with an embarrassed Thanksgiving, and Philip wheeled me to my classes.
I didn’t remember much of what happened, because the whole day was wizardly-happy, and after dinner, Philip promised me a surprise, and we went to Geneva, accompanied by Jens. Usually, the first graders are not allowed to leave the school because even the Fairy Forest is not that safe, but today we were allowed for some reason. Very soon I understood why.
A special minibus drove the three of us to town, halting right by the lake where the swans were swimming. It was a fabulous trip, but barely had I barely regretted not being around with my parents today when a real miracle happened. Just a great miracle, impossible in its own nature! Well, it seemed so to me. But it turned out that my Phil (he let me shorten his name) – well, my Phil can do anything!
When I saw Mum and Dad, I just burst into tears. I couldn’t help myself at all, just utterly, even got a little faint, but Phil put me back on my feet with the artifact. My dad greeted Phil by the hand, maturely, and asked what my angel had done for me.
Phil told me that it was a kind of device, but it worked on the principles of witchcraft. That means that every time my angel wields it, the artifact “bites off” some of his resources, but I didn’t tell my dad that. And then Mom and Dad started interrogating Phil about why he needed the artifact, and in general, how we...
“Helen might faint, or... Well... Well, basically, it’s an artifact that helps her,” my angel explained. “From fainting, well, and it helps if...”
My angel didn’t really want to talk about the fact that I almost died, but my mum and dad poked it out. They are very good at it because they are doctors. Patients don’t always tell everything and there are times when they lie, so doctors know how to ask the right questions. After that, Dad looked at Phil with respect and wasn’t grumpy about the engagement. Well, it seemed that way to me.
Then my mum was querying my angel about the betrothal, and I was cuddling up to him to encourage him because my mum is a nagging one. And then she asked the question about what it meant, well, about being witchy. I expected Phil to give up and speak of love, but he said the other thing... I didn’t even know what he meant at first, and then when I did, I was astonished. Because that’s something you only do when you really love.
“What does it mean?” Mum asked when Phil alluded to the ceremony, and I showed off the ring.
“It means that the end is already going to be a fairytale,” my angel replied hugging me. “We love each other, why put it off?”
“He’s sweet, don’t tell Philip off,” I asked because I didn’t understand what he’d just said.
“That’s great,” my dad was bright, so he immediately understood and stopped attacking with questions.
Afterwards, I shared how everything had happened, and what I had discovered – as long as I had Phil with me, I wouldn’t die. I said it just like that, and my mum began crying. Dad started consoling her, and my angel just hugged me and stroked me. We spent a long time chatting and strolling around. Then Dad talked to Phil’s foster family and said that he would settle with them to have my angel spend the Christmas holidays with us. I was so overjoyed... And Phil was overjoyed too because he loves me. And I love him.
We popped into a restaurant to enjoy some ice cream, even though it was already autumn and chilly, but we could do with a little. Dad was still staring at me, thinking about something. And Phil was checking to make sure I didn’t choke because of my heart failure. Mum was very conscious of my angel’s concern and didn’t mind him hugging me at all.
And after the restaurant, we went for another walk and sat in the park.
“Let me listen to you,” Dad suggested, and I nodded, but I couldn’t unbutton myself. Mum wanted to help me already, but Phil handled it.
Then Dad had been listening to my heart for a long time and was frowning. He didn’t really like something, which was clear – I had so much stress and excitement, besides, I didn’t start flying overnight, so... Well, maybe that’s the point. But my dad’s very smart and he’s already sorted something out. And why do I think I won’t like this “something”?
“Philip,” Dad said as he passed my angel a black, cluttered suitcase. “There are ampoules in it, you’ll have to inject it once a day, preferably in the morning. But keep in mind, that the medicine is quite painful, so inject slowly. Do you know how to give injections?”
“Sure, I can, Herr Bock,” Phil said and smiled at me.
“Ooooh,” I muttered because I was already aware of that kind of injection. “My butt will run away from me.”
“We’ll stroke it gently and it’ll change its mind,” Philip joked.
“Of course, it’s risky to give it without supervision, but there’s no other way,” said Dad, after a moment’s hesitation. “Well, we’ll get it checked at Christmas, at least it won’t be long now.”
“You can rely on me,” said my Phil. “I just have one question. I saw some attachments that help you breathe.”
“The AMBU bag,” Daddy realized. He thought about something, nodded, and told my angel, “I’ll send you by mail, along with the instructions.”
“Thank you,” thanked the boy.
Then we had a short walk, and I was in the wheelchair, being carried by Phil, stroking my shoulder from time to time, which made me not feel scared at all, but somehow very excited. My mother looked at me with a smile, and I was glad she wasn’t crying anymore. But everything comes to an end, and so did this meeting. I gave Mum and Dad a long hug and then Phil levitated me into the minibus, and we drove back to school. Even though leaving was sad, I was still smiling because I had my angel.
“Have you come?” Herr Schlosser asked already at school. “Good job, let’s go to the living room.”
It turned out that they were only waiting for us to celebrate. Heintzel of the school prepared a huge cake with the words “Happy birthday, Helen!” on it, and candles of course. The lights went out, the candles lit up, and I blew. And I blew out all the candles, wishing Phil would always be there. So, he will be now?
It was just an extremely blissful day, so I was thanking everyone for the day for a long time. My happiest birthday ever. The happiest!
***
ON HIS RETURN HOME, Herr Bock could not find his place. He perfectly understood what exactly this guy, whom his princess had called her angel, had meant. After careful consideration, the man came to the conclusion that his daughter had every right to call the boy that way, for what he had done was simply beyond imagination.
“My husband, you haven’t been yourself all night,” commented Mrs. Bock. “It can’t be explained by Helie’s state, so tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Emma,” Herr Bock could not calm down. “This boy has seen nothing at all, nothing in life, and without a second thought bound his life to the life of a princess, can you imagine such a thing?”
“Mark,” said his wife bluntly. “What are you talking about?”
“Did you miss what he said about the engagement?” question after question answered her indisputably beloved husband.
“That the end would be like a fairytale...” the woman said. “Wait, are you saying...”
“And they died on the same day,” the man quoted. “The boy, being aware that every day could be his last, nevertheless did it.”
“You’re right...” muttered Frau Bock pensively. “Maybe he didn’t realize that?”
“He knew everything perfectly well,” her husband smiled. “There’s just love at twelve. That’s the kind of love... that doesn’t hesitate to divide life and death in half. So, my love, today we meet our future son-in-law.”
“All that matters is that Helie lives,” the woman sighed. “And he takes care of her and she is happy, so let it be.”
The parents of the very sick girl hugged each other, wishing with all their might that the princess would go on living. Even though the girl had little chance, now there was hope for them too...
***
AFTER THE SHOWER, AN execution was waiting for me now. I used to joke like that every time, though Phil pouted at first. Even though my angel had tried to give the new medicine as gently as possible, it still hurt, of course. It didn’t hurt as much as I’d expected. But it was hard to sit up normally, though Philip actually rotated the injection spots, so there was no feeling of enduring punishment... Though I had never been punished, I had heard the girls at my old school sharing stories with each other. I remember being appalled by these revelations, because girls should not be punished, and my dad said that there were still savage people who hit children.
So, I tolerated it, of course, because it was Phil. My angel suffered with me when he hurt me. But there was no other way because Daddy said so. Dad certainly knows how to handle things right because he’s a doctor. Phil knows already, too, because he’s read the books, and also – he saves me even from myself.
Autumn has come into its own, even though the calendar indicated that it was almost over. But I have my own autumn, so occasionally I had trouble catching my breath, but it turned out that not only dad had passed on syringes and ampoules, but also a crash cart for me, beloved. More specifically, the rescue kit was sent by Daddy through the mail. And I’m a beloved, that’s what Philip says, and he knows it for sure. Now, when I found it hard to breathe, Phil would help me with this special thing called an ambu-bag. And we certainly coped with it, I didn’t even get too freaked out. Phil taught me not to be afraid, and for that, he should probably be awarded a monument. Well, as long as there is no monument, I just love him.
October passed very quickly, followed by November, and soon it was time for the holidays. Right before the holidays was the day mentioned in the books. My angel’s parents had died that day, and the chancellor suggested that Phil should attend his family’s grave. And they took me, of course, because we were almost family.
It was at that moment that I saw our always-smiling chancellor crying. He was sliding his hand over the gravestones and talking quietly to each grave. There were also the graves of dead children because not everyone could be saved. The natural force does not ask, it is not human, but all the dead were true heroes. Even those who did not make it out from beneath the ruins of the houses.
Tears were running down Herr Richter’s face, and his eyes were so sorrowful, so Phil and I went over to him and hugged him, and he didn’t mind. I also thanked my angel’s mum and dad for having him. And Phil hugged me. So...
So many people died because of some disaster, I think it was an earthquake. And the sorcerers saved everyone without mercy for themselves. Which means that they were decent people. And good people become angels, that’s what the priest at church told me. I told Phil that his mum and dad were looking down on him from heaven and were proud of him, and my angel hugged me for it and squeezed me tight.
We headed back because it was time for the evening remembrance supper, and I, of course, stayed with Phil, who was grieving. My angel hugged me, and I hugged him. We sat like that all evening because it was rather sorrowful. And then we lay and chatted in bed for a long time before I fell asleep.
I didn’t have any dreams, but I felt very peaceful. I slept peacefully through the night. And in the morning, I felt ashamed, because the angel was feeling miserable, and I had fallen asleep. So, in the morning I apologized for falling asleep unexpectedly, but Philip only smiled and called me his miracle. That must be a good thing, right?